How to Unlock Your Phone

9th February 2016 by Nat Dalby

Phones are often locked to a specific network, but this can be restricting, so check out our guide on unlocking your phone.

Getting an unlocked phone is something more and more consumers are looking into. The freedom to do whatever you want with your phone and not be tied down to a network means that more people are exploring the ways their phones can be used.

However, it often isn’t as easy as you might think. Phone manufacturers and networks are actively standing in the way of you unlocking your mobile, sometimes causing the process to be drawn out and expensive.

Benefits of an unlocked phone

Unlocking your phone allows you to experience a number of benefits that you won’t get if you’re using a phone tied down to a network. The main reason why an unlocked phone is beneficial is that you’ll be able to use it with any SIM or network you like, provided you have the SIM card. This means that you can move between any network and tariff you want if you choose a SIM only deal. This also comes with an improved cost, as you won’t be paying for the phone as well as the contract, making it far cheaper overall. Unlocking means no longer being tied down to a specific provider.

The handset itself is also more open when unlocking, depending on what device you have. If you own an Android phone, you’ll be able to do more with it once it unlocks, including installing specific types of apps. There are a number of different ways to get your phone unlocked, so it’s important you do your research based on what phone you have and what network you are on.

Buy it unlocked

If having an unlocked phone is a priority for you, you should consider cutting out the middle man and simply buying an unlocked phone from the beginning. There are a number of ways you can do this.

Certain mobile providers offer unlocked phones combined with SIM only deals, meaning you aren’t tied down to a contract. GiffGaff is the biggest example of this, with the company only offering unlocked phones that you buy upfront and combine with a SIM only deal that rolls over every month.

Another way of doing this is buying the phone directly from the manufacturer. This way, you’ll be free to use it as you wish and buy a SIM only plan or pay-as-you-go deal from your chosen network. Manufacturers such as Sony, Apple and Samsung all allow you to buy their phones straight from their websites or stores.

The only downside here is the initial upfront cost, which can be very expensive. Modern smartphones are sold for hundreds of pounds, but if you can get past this, you’ll save money in the long run. With a contract from a network, you’re paying the same amount for a phone (if not more), but it’s spread over 24 months rather than paying upfront.

Use an unlocking service

If you’re still in a contract and can’t consider splashing out on a brand new unlocked phone just yet, you may want to consider using a third part unlocking service. What you use and how much it will cost depends very much on the make and age of your phone. If you have a newer smartphone, such as a Samsung Galaxy S6, you’ll probably need to pay up in order to get it unlocked. This is because of code system that is used to unlock a phone. Phones need specific codes in order to be unlocked, with older phones having much more common codes than newer models.

Mobile phone unlock services will charge varying amounts, depending on what phone you have. When you purchase a code from a third party organisation, it’s important to be careful and know for sure what you’re buying. GiffGaff’s ‘Unlockapedia’ is a useful tool for this, as you can enter your make and model of phone in order to find the best option for you. Often, you’ll be able to buy a code and use it there and then, but this can differ depending on the service.

Use your provider

Regardless of what you might have heard in the past, it’s not illegal to unlock your phone. Mobile providers, however, are unlikely to let you know about the services you’re entitled to as their aim is to keep your tethered to their network for as long as possible. It’s entirely possible to have your phone unlocked by your current provider, with many of the big names offering unlocking services.

Providers such as EE, Vodafone and 02 all allow you to unlock your phone. There are varying ways of doing this, but the most common is to ask your network for a code, which they are obliged to hand out to you. Some networks, such as EE do charge you a small fee in the process, but this is insignificant compared to what you can potentially save. This works in a similar way to obtaining a PAC code in order to port your number over to a new provider, and is most commonly done at the end of a contract.